Development is preparing people to do their best, it is not lecturing or teaching.  Development is a process and not a course, it is a means to an end, not an end in itself.  Development involves engaging with people and enabling them to fulfil their potential for the good of the individual and the business.

Development is helping people around the learning cycle and, depending on the style of development, can start at any point in the cycle-

Do - An action or activity

Review - Looking back and reflecting - how did it go?

Theory - What have we learnt from that?  What conclusions can we make?  What models/ideas can we learn from?

Plan - What will we do next time?  Putting what we have learnt into action

Development is ensuring that all people in a team are involved in learning.  Each individual has a preferred learning style - Doers, Reflectors, Theorists and Planners (Experimenters).  Development is making sure that all these needs are satisfied.

Development starts with a need.  Needs can be based on the needs of the market, the needs of the business or the needs of the people.